The world’s oceans are getting warmer and warmer. This means that some species thrive better, such as the jellyfish.
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Ghostly swarms of jellyfish have taken over the coast of the Mediterranean city of Haifa in Israel.
This is written by the Reuters news agency, which has also taken several photos where you can see that the water is filled with small dots.
The jellyfish make it almost impossible to swim in the Mediterranean water.
The increase in the number of jellyfish is probably due to the water getting warmer. A consequence of global warming.
Global warming is approaching a degree. The aim is to limit warming to below two degrees, but preferably below 1.5.
An important part of achieving this goal is to reduce emissions.
Norway must reduce emissions by 50 to 55 percent by 2030. In 2021, emissions fell by 0.3 percent.
The government believes that we are able to achieve the targets, but the researchers are not so sure.
Moving north
According to Institute of Marine Research jellyfish are a common summer guest also at home in Norway.
The most common jellyfish are the red jellyfish and the glass jellyfish. The blue jellyfish is most common in southern Norway, but it can appear along the entire coast.
In recent years, they have gradually moved further north. This probably has a connection with temperature changes in the sea, according to the Institute of Marine Research.
But there is not enough good research on the jellyfish, which can establish that the number is increasing in Norway or elsewhere in the world.
A warmer ocean has consequences for several species. VG recently wrote about the alien species Pacific oysters occupying the Norwegian coast.
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– Does real damage
The jellyfish in Israel have had major consequences for tourism. Reuters writes that the country loses 10 million dollars a year because of the jellyfish.
They also cause problems for fishermen, and clog desalination plants.
Every season, the number of jellyfish increases, according to the authorities.
– The water is getting warmer and warmer and we can see more and more jellyfish, says Guy Lavian, at Israel’s Nature and Parks Agency, to Reuters.
– They really do damage here. You can definitely say that global warming is contributing to these massive swarms, he says.
–Competes for food and territories
The jellyfish compete with other life in the sea for food and habitat.
According to Israel’s Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (ISEES), overfishing helps to make it easier for the jellyfish to survive, writes Reuters.
The institute also believes that the artificial Suez Canal contributes to more foreign species getting from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, such as several different types of jellyfish.
According to ISEES, leaks from agricultural fertilizers also provide nourishment to the jellyfish.
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